Blog – Page 5 – Dr. Steven Mercer

Blog

Advice to Parents: Keeping an Eye on the Emotional Well-Being of Your Student

March 1, 2019January 31, 2019

Applying to college can be a very stressful process. Stress, in general—but especially consistent high levels of stress—can have an impact on a student’s brain functions, emotional well-being, and physical health. However, the outward signs that your student’s health may be negatively impacted by stress are not always easy to… Read more

My Biggest Regret When I Applied to College

February 15, 2019January 7, 2019

Like a lot of students I work with, I applied to college right out of high school. I was fortunate to be admitted to a place that really fit me, and I was excited to go. College was a great experience for me in many ways. However, in retrospect, there… Read more

“Why Us?” – The Hardest Application Essay You Will Have to Write

February 1, 2019January 7, 2019

Many colleges, especially well-known or highly-selective colleges, request several different essays from applicants. Of those, one of the most important you will have to write is an essay that asks: “Why do you want to go to our college?” Highly-selective colleges are popular and receive a lot of applications from… Read more

Are You Making Your College Counselor Cringe?

January 15, 2019March 20, 2019

As an Independent Educational Consultant, I provide expert guidance to support each individual student in their journey through the college admission process. To accomplish this, I am dedicated to helping students (and their families) set educational goals, organize their time, put a plan into action, and overcome any obstacles that… Read more

Visit Early and Visit Often

January 1, 2019November 22, 2018

Of all the steps involved in applying to colleges in a thorough and thoughtful way, perhaps visiting colleges is the most important. In fact, it is never too early to visit a college. Though, it is not a race by any means either. It is not about trying to beat… Read more

How to Apply to College With No Volunteer Hours

December 15, 2018November 22, 2018

A student walks into my office and says: “I am in big trouble. I need a lot of help with my college application. My biggest problem is that I have very few volunteer hours and hardly any community service. What do I do? Where can I go? Can you sign… Read more

The End of Standardized Testing: Has the Time Come?

December 1, 2018November 22, 2018

In the world of college admissions, few things change frequently. Except in one area—standardized testing* requirements for admission. It has been my observation that, in the last 5 to 7 years, standardized testing requirements have seen the highest rate of change for a significant number of colleges and universities in… Read more

When Should You Start Applying to College?

November 15, 2018November 16, 2018

The short answer is… as soon as you begin high school. Now, that does not mean that you would actually be filling out applications at that moment or preparing any of your application essays. But what it does mean is that, as soon as you start high school, you have… Read more

How Long Does It Take to Apply to College?

November 1, 2018November 16, 2018

The short answer to that question is… longer than you think. Ultimately, it does not just take weeks or month—it takes years. The answer really depends on what part of the application process you are working on. To clarify, let me break down the timing.… Read more

The Crucial Elements of a Great Personal Statement – Part 2

October 1, 2018October 10, 2018

Remember that quote from my post “The Crucial Elements of a Great Personal Statement – Part 1”? I can only echo the words of the famous novelist Elmore Leonard once again for part two of this subject: “If it sounds like writing, rewrite it!” In that last post, we applied… Read more

The Crucial Elements of a Great Personal Statement – Part 1

September 15, 2018October 10, 2018

As I have noted in my blog post, “Personal Statements for Mere Mortals,” many colleges require a unique essay—usually 500-650 words-long—as part of the admission process. As a former admission officer and high school college counselor, and now as an Independent Educational Consultant, I have read, edited, and helped students… Read more

The Best and the Worst Letters of Recommendation I Have Ever Read

September 1, 2018October 10, 2018

As a former college admission officer, I was at the receiving end of hundreds of letters of recommendation. And, obviously, as a college counselor and independent educational consultant, I frequently talk with students about their letters of recommendation. I have seen good ones, bad ones, and anything in between. For… Read more

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Zen and the Art of College Visits

In my experience, students and families often overthink specific aspects of the college admission process. Visiting colleges is one of these areas. Many clients believe they need a “strategy,” along with “tactics,” that define “measurable outcomes” for the perfect college visit that will help them get into their “dream school.”… Read more

Replacing Prestige

“The benefits and predictors of a good education are knowable yet virtually impossible to measure.” “Colleges can be assessed, but not ranked. Students can be evaluated, but not measured.” ― The Education Conservancy – www.educationconservancy.org (PDF: “WE ADMIT…GUIDANCE FROM THOSE WHO DO”) If prestige is an illusion when it comes… Read more

Rethinking Prestige

Rethinking Prestige Origin of “prestige”: From French prestige – “illusion, fascination, enchantment.” From Latin praestigium – “a delusion, an illusion.” In the wake of the recent admission scandal, a reporter from a newspaper asked me why this sort of thing even happens. To tell you the truth, I do not… Read more

How to Find the Worst College for You

I have worked with a lot of students over the years. And at the end of the admission process—as they look back through the ups and downs, the exciting times and the disappointments—most of them do not have a lot of regrets. Generally, these students have authentically gone through the… Read more

Can You Game the Admission System?

You may have seen recent news about a vast college admission scandal in the United States. Charges included such things as bribery, conspiracy, cheating, fraud, etc. and involved a wide range of people at several colleges, but also parents. I could not help but think about how these kinds of… Read more

“I Do Not Care Which College You Get Into”

Coming from someone who helps students apply to college for a living, the title of this post should be quite shocking. The truth is, I care deeply about all aspects of applying to college from the very first steps to the very last. But, during more than two decades of… Read more

Does It Really Take a Village?

As an Independent Educational Consultant in private practice, I work with distinct types of clients. Some, after signing up to work together, proudly announce: “We are so happy to welcome you to our team! We already have an SAT tutor and tutors for all three AP classes. Also, we found… Read more

Advice to Parents: Helping Your Student If You Notice Signs of Application Stress

In my last post, “Advice to Parents: Keeping an Eye on the Emotional Well-Being of Your Student,” I talked about the symptoms of college application stress on students. I also noted that, while some symptoms are fairly normal, other symptoms are more serious. Thus, a parent may want to consider… Read more

Advice to Parents: Keeping an Eye on the Emotional Well-Being of Your Student

My Biggest Regret When I Applied to College

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